In the field of livestock feeding large round bales of hay are commonly employed. In order to prevent uncontrolled feeding and scattering of hay, round bale feeders may be used to contain the bales. These are essentially a cage or pen with the bale being positioned interiorly to permit the livestock to reach through the feeder without trampling the hay. While such practice has been generally satisfactory, the concentration of livestock around the perimeter of the feeder has caused rutting of the ground and damage to the area in which the livestock are fed including erosion.
Various devices have been employed for unrolling the bale in a web-like mat which may be spread out in a long ribbon-like manner on the field to spread out the area in which the livestock are fed to reduce trampling of the field.
Such devices have generally been in the nature of mechanisms which provide for rotating the bale spike 90.degree. in order that the bale can be unrolled after it has been transported. Such mechanisms are of relatively complex construction and substantial expense which are out or reach for many ranchers and farmers.
Another approach has been to drive an axle through the axis of the bale and attach lines to opposite ends of the axle and the rear of a farm vehicle to unroll the bale. Such a device entails extra labor in driving the axle through the bale after the transport spike has been withdrawn which is laborious and time consuming.
It has remained a problem to provide a simple and easily employed device for unrolling large hay bales which can be readily employed on the ranch or farm.